ENABLED - Enhancing Network Access for the Blind and Visually Impaired

ENABLED is an EU funded collaborative project involving 14 organisations from 9 european countries. These organisations include Academic in stitutions as well as representatives of various industries including the suppliers of techn ology for the blind and Visually Impaired. This paper presents the work of the ENABLED project, which aims to improve access to information for blind and partially sighted users b y optimizing the appropriate use of interfaces based on the needs and abilities of the visually impaired user in a variety of environments. The project employed requirements capture techniques involving surveys, telephone, and face-to-face interviews to identify areas in which the lives of blind and partially sighted people could be improved by enhanced network access. The results are being applied in the area of Accessible Web Content, Multi-modal Interfaces, Mobile Computing, and Wireless Networking.